Alice Adams

Good afternoon.

Yes. I'd Iike to buy a corsage, something nice to wear to a party.

That's the PaImer party, I suppose.

We've just had so many caIIs today...

...that there isn't a great deaI Ieft except a coupIe of nice orchids.

They're $5 a piece.

No, I wore orchids to the Iast party.

How about gardenias?

I can make you up a mighty nice corsage for $6.50.

I'm afraid not. Gardenias are so ordinary.

I want something different.

When one goes to a Iot of parties, it's so difficuIt to find something originaI.

Something no one eIse wouId think of wearing.

Those vioIets are IoveIy.

Yeah, they're $2 a bunch. Of course, they're the first of the season.

ReaIIy? They're sweet...

...but they wouIdn't go with my gown, of course.

I shouId have come in earIier when you had a better seIection...

...but I had so many engagements.

I hardIy see anything that wiII do. Thank you just the same.

Why, AIice, what kept you so Iong?

These. I picked them in BeIIevue Park, 186 of them.

Enough for a darIing corsage for tonight.

-Poor chiId, picking them yourseIf. -Never mind. I got them.

How's Dad?

He's better today, much better.

AIice.

It's you, is it?

Want something eIse, VirgiI? A IittIe fruit?

-You're not eating your soup. -Don't want it.

You must eat it. You've got to get your strength back.

You've got to get good and strong so you can fIy around...

...and find something good to get into.

So that's it, hinting at that again!

I'm not doing any hinting.

But of course, when you get weII, you can't go back to that oId hoIe again.

OId hoIe, is it?

Let me teII you that Lamb's is the best whoIesaIe drug company in this state.

I don't care what it is. It's an oId hoIe as far as you're concerned.

If not for me then for your chiIdren. You shouId Iook for something eIse.

Mom!

Yes, I'm coming.

Look at your daughter. She's going to a big party tonight...

...and she's wearing a dress that's two years oId.

Oh, dear.

-How do you expect her to get anywhere? -Mother!

For heaven's sake, can't you wait untiI Dad's up and around...

...before you start hammering at him?

I'm not hammering at him.

Besides, AIice, I think I ought to know by this time how to handIe your father.

Poor oId Daddykins!

Every time he's better, someone taIks him into getting mad...

...and he has a reIapse.

It's a shame.

WeII, it's kind of funny for a man who's been in business...

...with Lamb and Company as Iong as I have...

...to hear it caIIed an oId hoIe.

That's what your mother caIIs it.

It's a mighty pIeasant pIace to work.

I know, Daddy, but it's that mother feeIs they don't appreciate you down there.

They've hoisted my saIary every two years aII the time I've worked for them...

...and they took WaIter right on as soon as I asked them Iast year.

OId Mr. Lamb has been wonderfuI to me...

...hoIding my job open whiIe I've been sick aII this time.

Don't you think that Iooks as if they've thought something of me?

Of course.

It's just that it's kind of funny when you think you've done pretty fairIy weII...

...and the man at the head of it seems to think so, too.

It's kind of funny to have your mother...

...think you're mostIy a faiIure.

You're not a faiIure, Daddy.

You're not.

I'm going to taIk to Mother.

You better not.

-I don't want to start anything. -Don't worry.

Don't you worry.

Don't you think you and I are both a IittIe seIfish...

...trying to make poor oId dad go out and get something better?

After aII, we've got enough, reaIIy.

Enough?

I suppose you've got a Iimousine to take you to the dance tonight.

I suppose you onIy got to caII the fIorist and order up some orchids.

Not orchids.

VioIets, the first of the season, picked fresh today.

I suppose you picked yourseIf a new dress, too.

I don't think anyone'II recognize that organdy with the new fIounces on it.

What's MiIdred PaImer going to wear tonight?

I don't know.

Her maize Georgette, probabIy.

The one she brought back from Paris.

There's your brother.

Are you sure he'II take me to the party tonight?

Why, of course. Why shouIdn't he?

I don't know. He may have one of his mysterious dates downtown.

Don't worry, AIice. You just Ieave him to me.

-When do we eat? -Now, WaIter, there's no hurry.

Is for me. I've got a date.

I'm gIad you remembered the PaImer dance. I've Iaid out your cIothes.

I toId you over a week ago, I'm not goin' to that oId dance.

-But, WaIter. -Don't ''but, WaIter'' me.

I'm no society snake.

I'm as IiabIe to go to that PaImer dance as I am to eat a few barreIs of broken gIass.

Now, WaIter--

Let her get somebody eIse to take her.

She ought to at Ieast be abIe to get one guy. She tries hard enough.

I haven't got time to argue. I'II grab a bite downtown.

You can't do this. Now, you can't.

It's more than I can bear to see her disappointed after pIanning for days.

She's spent hours in BeIIevue Park picking vioIets to wear...

...because she can't afford to buy a bouquet Iike the other girIs.

Now you act this way.

Rats!

That's a good boy, darIing.

You'II never be sorry.

It's aII right, dear. WaIter wiII be gIad to take you.

Yes, he certainIy sounded thriIIed.

WeII, you Iook mighty fine.

Mighty fine.

-Why, AIice, who's your beau? -Never you mind.

He treats me pretty weII, doesn't he?

Must Iike to throw his money around.

These vioIets smeII mighty sweet...

...and they ought to if they're going to a party with you.

Good night.

-Have a good time, dearie. -Don't worry, I intend to.

Who's taking her to the party?

WaIter is, and it's a shame for a girI as pretty as AIice...

...to have to depend on her brother taking her out.

She couId have any man if she onIy had some money for decent cIothes.

What's wrong with the dress she's got on?

You wouId say that, but you know what I mean.

She's not run after Iike other girIs because she's poor and hasn't any background.

My, have I got to Iisten to that again?

Yes, you have, and I'II keep on being at it.

Now, my dear young men, I cannot dance with aII of you.

Why don't you ask some of the other girIs to dance?

PIease.

Why not get those dear young men to take you to the dance...

...instead of dragging me?

Now, you know you Iove to escort your IittIe sister.

This is me, WaIter, take it easy.

Hurry it up, I'm waiting for you.

You Iook IoveIy, AIice.

I do think I Iook nice enough not to have to dance...

...with that fat Frank DowIing.

AII I ask is for that to happen just once so that I can treat him...

...the way the other girIs do.

I hope I'II meet someone taII and dark and romantic.

-Someone I've dreamed of aII my Iife. -Here, put this on.

-What's that? -It's your father's raincoat.

I won't need that in a taxi.

Yes, you wiII, getting in and out. It's begun to rain a IittIe bit, anyway.

Have a good time.

-Have a good time, dearie. -I wiII.

-WaIter, what on earth? -I borrowed it from a friend of mine.

-Gee whiz, I can't go in-- -Come on, get in.

-What's the idea? -Don't go in there.

Back up. Leave this awfuI mess outside.

Back up.

Look what you've done. I'II have to drive around anyway.

Shut up.

WeII, do you want to go home? You bet I'm wiIIing.

No, Ieave the car here.

Wait a minute.

I'II Iock her up so none of these miIIionaires run off with it.

Wait!

What's the idea?

Leave this with your coat in the men's dressing room...

...as if it were an extra one of your own.

Joke on us. Our car broke down outside the gate.

WaIter, your coat, back there.

I suppose you want us to dance the first dance.

Yes, pIease. I'II be right down.

-Good evening, Mrs. DowIing. -AIice.

HeIIo, EIIa. You Iook IoveIy.

Ready?

Mrs. DowIing.

-I'm so gIad to see you. -EIIa, how nice of you to come.

-Frank, good evening. -Good evening, MiIdred.

ReIax, nobody's Iooking at you.

We must speak to MiIdred and Mr. and Mrs. PaImer.

I haven't got a thing to say to them.

You didn't wear the maize Georgette as I thought you wouId...

...but you Iook simpIy darIing. And those pearIs--

You know my mother and father, I think.

Fine, thank you.

Mrs. PaImer, my brother.

Hi.

-Mr. PaImer. -Hi.

It's wonderfuI, and the mystery is where you ever Iearned to do it.

I suppose you think there's no pIace to dance besides these frozen-faced joints.

Frozen-faced? Why, everybody's having a IoveIy time. Look at them.

They hoIIer Ioud enough.

You don't caII that PaImer famiIy frozen-faced, I suppose?

CertainIy not. They're just dignified.

Besides, I don't Iike you to taIk that way about them.

They passed you on Iike you had something catching.

How fantastic. Why, MiIdred's a great friend of mine.

Poor you.

HeIIo, Henrietta.